A Buffalo telegram of the 7th ult. gives the
following fuller details of this terrible crime:—The attempt upon the life of
the President was made directly after the concert in the Music Hall. Although
Mr. McKinley is generally well protected by secret police, for an attempt of
that kind he was fully at mercy, as he stood at the end of a platform. The crowd
was pressing into the audience-room through various entrances and becoming more
dense every minute. The President appeared to be exceedingly pleased with such
manifestations of devotion to him.
While the President of the Exposition, Mr. Milbourn,
stood at the right of President McKinley, and the latter’s private secretary
at his left a man dressed in black, with one of his hands tied over with a handkerchief,
was forcing his way through the crowd toward the President, and stopped before
the latter when within less than two feet of him. The President smilingly bowed
and extended his hand, whereupon revolver shots were immediately heard, and
a dead silence fell upon the audience.
The President remained on his feet for some minutes,
but his look lost firmness and he began wandering. Then he stepped back a little,
his face becoming deadly pale, turned about, and with a slow step moved towards
a chair, sat down, took off his hat and covered his face with his hands. His
waistcoat was immediately unbuttoned by one of the police officers who stood
near him, and while this was being done he requested those surrounding him to
remain calm.
“But you are badly wounded,” said his secretary
to him.
“No, I don’t believe I am wounded seriously,”
was the President’s reply. Then he added, “Please do not exaggerate when informing
my wife of the circumstance.”
In the meantime the dead silence in the room produced
by the shooting changed into the wildest excitement. Two policemen jumped at
the assassin, knocked him down, and endeavored to disarm him, but the latter
succeeded in liberating the hand holding the revolver and tried to again shoot
in the direction of the President. When, finally, the assassin was overpowered,
he was badly bruised and scratched about his face and body.
The first bullet struck in the region of the chest
and stuck there, was removed by the President himself. In doing this he said:
“I think there is another bullet in my body.”
At this moment the scenes of wild excitement reached
their climax; men were wrestling with each other and the police, and endeavoured
to reach the assassin; women and children cried and fell into hysterics. It
was a very long time before these scenes abated, order only being restored by
slow degrees.